The HillCovering more than one-third of the United States, our forests are the cornerstone of American industry, infrastructure, health and well-being. Nowadays, America's trees and forests are under attack; threats include catastrophic wildfire, forests being broken into smaller tracts, and attacks from insects and disease. Healthy forests do not happen by chance and require investments of dollars, time and expertise.

A prolonged drought in the western United States has created conditions for massive wildfires and bark beetle devastation, turning once-healthy landscapes from green to brown. In the eastern United States, pests like the emerald ash borer have destroyed tens of millions of community trees. The effect on ash trees is even threatening production of one of America's most iconic wood products — the baseball bat.
READ MORE

Academic scholars will overview the latest research in forest and bio-based materials including nanotechnology and solid wood. Leading manufacturers will highlight advancements in chemical technologies, supplier audits, product innovation and continuous improvement.

The PTF BPI conference is dedicated to the exchange of information and ideas about research on process technologies, quality control, and process improvement. Contemporary topics on real-time predictive modeling of processes, continuous improvement, lean manufacturing, lean six-sigma and advanced data mining will be presented at the conference.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available at varying prices from bronze to gold levels. For more information, contact Scott Springmier.

FPSPapers are being accepted for the 2017 International Conference on Wood Adhesives. This is the 11th in a series organized every four years by the U.S. Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory, the Forest Products Society and the Wood Based Composites Center.

The conference will be held Oct. 25-27, 2017, at the Sheraton Hotel in Atlanta. The conference will bring together industry, academics and consultants with a special interest in adhesives for wood and biomass.

Woodworking NetworkNorth American lumber exports (U.S. Northwest and British Columbia) to Asia have declined significantly since record level exports in 2013. From 2009 to 2013, the value of logs and lumber shipped over the Pacific Ocean surged from 1.7 billion dollars to 4.9 billion dollars. Since the record high in 2013, the total export value has fallen quite substantially and was just over 3.3 billion dollars in 2015.READ MORE

Augusta Free PressThe Virginia Department of Forestry will receive increased funding for two vital forestry programs that the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation has supported. Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Aug. 29 that the DOF will receive money for its Reforestation of Timberlands program and fire suppression program. Farm Bureau legislative policy for 2016 supported both.READ MORE

San Francisco ChronicleDavid Bischel, president of the California Forestry Association, and Paul Wenger, president of the California Farm Bureau Federation, write: "California's wildfire season is off to a ferocious start, fueled by overcrowded forests that are dry from drought and by more than 66 million drought-killed trees.

"It's important that California consider how we as a state can safely and efficiently deal with disposing the excess wood. So far this year, California wildfires have burned more than 193,000 acres. We have more than 66 million trees killed from the drought and bark beetle, and experts expect to see more. Our forests are clearly in crisis and to ensure public health and safety, forest owners are calling for immediate action."READ MORE

Climate CentralEuropean officials are moving to close a loophole that promotes the burning of wood for electricity by an industry that's felling American trees, and a new report they commissioned has laid bare the urgent need for reform. European Union climate rules treat woody biomass energy as if it's as clean as solar or wind energy, despite it releasing more heat-trapping carbon dioxide for every megawatt of electricity produced than coal. Producing wood pellets for fuel can also foster climate-changing deforestation.READ MORE

TreehuggerAn Oregon startup is working on the development of drones that can plant and monitor trees on a large scale, using "precision forestry" and high technology to jumpstart reforestation efforts in previously logged areas. While the basic approach of DroneSeed isn't a novel one, the company is looking to add a suite of forestry applications to its machines, with the intent of bringing "full lifecycle services" to forestry management, including mapping and monitoring, at a fraction of the cost of doing so manually.READ MORE

environmentalresearchwebDeforestation has increased the occurrence of flooding in Indonesian Borneo over the past 30 years, according to researchers in Australia and Indonesia. Based on interviews with local villagers and articles from local media sources, the study shows that, in just three years, upwards of 750,000 people from hundreds of settlements were displaced by flooding. Those affected are more likely to have come from regions deforested for mining and oil-palm plantations, the researchers say.READ MORE

Biofuels InternationalBioforever, a consortium of 15 European companies, has announced the start of a demonstration project for the conversion of woody biomass to biochemicals. Bioforever is an acronym for bio-based products from forestry via economically viable European routes.READ MORE

MISSED AN ISSUE OF THE FOREST PRODUCTS REPORT?VISIT AND SEARCH THE ARCHIVE TODAY.